


A Bump in the Yellow Brick Road

by MissMy80sShows



Series: Season 5 - What Could Have Happened on SMK [12]
Category: Scarecrow and Mrs. King
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-15 02:28:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 12,205
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29428830
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissMy80sShows/pseuds/MissMy80sShows
Summary: Lee has two mysteries on his hands.  Who's trying to kill Paul Barnes?  What is going on with Amanda?
Series: Season 5 - What Could Have Happened on SMK [12]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/935760
Comments: 3
Kudos: 3





	1. Chapter 1

A Bump in the Yellow Brick Road

Chapter 1

The summer passed by too quickly for Amanda and Lee and the rest of the Stetson/King household. Each day brought a new adventure to their home with the addition of the twins to the family dynamics. As September approached, Amanda began looking forward to getting back to work. However, she was already beginning to dread the thought of being away from her daughters. The boys started back to school two days before she was to start back at the Agency. Billy agreed to ease Amanda back into things with a limited schedule, with the agreement she would work on transcripts at home. Finally, the day arrived, and it was not looking like the easy transition Amanda and Lee hoped for.

"Sweetheart?" Amanda called from the bedroom. When Lee didn't answer, she hollered again, "Lee?" She waited several long seconds before tightening her robe around her and jogged down the stairs toward the twins' bedroom. She could hear one of the girls crying loudly as she approached. With a heavy sigh, she pushed the door open and quickly scooped up one of the girls. "DJ… DJ… DJ… What is wrong, little love?" she asked as she gently bounced her daughter in her arms. She glanced down and noticed Lily was still sleeping, so she took her upset baby out into the hallway in search of Lee.

Jamie opened his bedroom door just as she passed by. "Mom?"

"Hello, sweetheart. Are you almost ready for school?" She smiled at her youngest son.

"I thought you had to get ready for work?" he questioned, confused.

Amanda bounced DJ several more times in an effort to comfort the whimpering infant. "I was trying to, but DJ woke up, and I don't know what happened to Lee," she explained.

Jamie scratched his head and looked toward the bottom of the stairs. "I heard him head down to the office a few minutes ago. Or I think it was him… Somebody went that way…" he muttered.

Amanda reached out and stroked his cheek lovingly. "It's tough getting up for school after being on vacation all summer, isn't it?" she teased. Jamie yawned loudly and nodded. "Well, you finish getting yourself ready, and I'll check in on your brother, too."

"Thanks, Mom." He reached out and touched DJ on the arm. "Hey, I'll be home later on… don't miss me too much," he assured the baby. As if DJ understood his words, she burrowed herself against Amanda's shoulder and cried loudly once more.

Amanda bounced her again gently and stepped down the hall to knock on Phillip's door. "Phillip? Are you up?" she asked softly.

Phillip opened the door, completely dressed. "Hey, Mom! I was gonna grab the baby for you when I heard her start crying," he offered. "What's wrong with her?" He touched her leg and tugged on her little foot.

"I'm not sure. Lily is still sound asleep, so whatever it is, it's not bothering her," Amanda sighed.

"Lily can sleep through anything," Phillip laughed. He held his arms out and offered, "I'll bring her down to get a bottle. I know you need to get ready, too."

Amanda rubbed her cheek on the baby's head before shifting her into Philip's arms. "Thank you, sweetheart. You're right. It feels strange having to rush to get ready for work this morning. I don't know what happened to Lee… or your grandmother," she wondered.

"Grandma is in the shower. I heard her singing again," Phillip groaned. He held his sister tenderly in his arms. "Come on… let's get you some numma nums."

Amanda watched as the pair headed down the stairs. She exhaled loudly and quickly decided to find Lee before returning to her room to get dressed. She found him on the phone in the office.

"And you're sure that's what you heard?" Lee questioned the person on the other end of the line. "Paul… listen… it's been almost six weeks… I know you hate the safe house… And I know you hate the food at the safe house, but it's the best we can do under the circumstances." Lee looked up at Amanda and gave her a weak smile before he mouthed, "I'm sorry." He turned his attention back to the phone and rolled his eyes dramatically as he bobbed his head, "Yeah… yeah… I know, Paul. We've got feelers out all over the city. As soon as we get something concrete, I'll let you know. Yeah… Listen, I gotta get going. I'll check in later today. Don't worry... " Lee paused, and a genuine smile crossed his face. "I'll tell her. I will, I will… I'll talk to you soon." He dropped the phone onto the receiver and exhaled heavily.

"Paul?" Amanda inquired.

"Yeah… he's going stir crazy, but there's nothing I can do," Lee informed his wife. He stood slowly and crossed the room to slip his arms around her. "He asked me to give you this… and to tell you he can't wait to see the girls. He feels bad he hasn't been able to see them yet but with this whole mess going on… well, you know how Paul is."

Amanda relaxed against Lee's shoulder and asked, "Any leads yet?"

Lee inhaled slowly and gave Amanda a gentle squeeze before he replied, "Nothing solid. Three attempts on his life, and we still aren't any closer to figuring out who it is."

Amanda lifted her chin, and their lips met for a brief moment before she slowly let go of Lee and stepped back. "Well, I'm sure something will come up soon. Now, I better get ready for work. Otherwise, we're going to be late dropping the boys off at school and getting to the office."

Lee gave her a weak smile. "And the girls?"

"DJ was quite unhappy a few minutes ago, but Phillip brought her down to have a bottle," Amanda explained.

"I would've gotten her!" Lee insisted as he glanced at the door. "I'm sorry. I didn't hear her."

"The office is sound-proof, remember?" Amanda took a step closer to the door and added, "You still need to get dressed, but I'm sure you can squeeze in a few minutes with her. She might simply be looking for her daddy this morning."

Lee looked at his watch and then scratched the back of his head for a few seconds while mentally calculating how much time they had left before they needed to go. "Yeah… I should do that. Is Lily still sleeping?"

Amanda pulled the door open and nodded, "She was. You know as well as I do, as soon as DJ's out of the crib, Lily misses that warm body beside her, and she's wide awake."

Lee slipped his arm around her waist and bumped his shoulder against Amanda as he teased, "Kind of like you and me."

Amanda gave him a stern look and reminded her husband, "More like me. You don't seem to have any problem sleeping through crying or me getting up several times a night now."

Together they began to climb the stairs when they heard Lily's distinct cry from down the hall. "Hey, I can't help it if I'm finally feeling content now. It took me a lot of years and restless nights to finally feel like this. I mean, our life is almost perfect," Lee declared.

"Uh-huh. Well, Mr. Perfect Life, go feed your daughter so your wife can get ready for work," Amanda vocalized. They parted ways, Lee heading toward the twins' bedroom door, and Amanda climbed the stairs to finished dressing.

Amanda closed and locked the bedroom door behind her as she began to change her clothes. She was surprised to hear Lee several minutes later knocking on the door. "Amanda? Why is the door locked?"

Amanda quickly finished pulling on her sweater before she twisted the knob to allow him entrance. "I was just getting dressed, that's all."

"But you never lock the door," Lee observed.

Amanda shrugged her shoulders. "I just thought… well, I just thought I'd have a little privacy to get ready." She slipped her feet into her shoes and sidestepped Lee. "Where's Lily?"

"Your mother has her," Lee announced as he narrowed his eyes at her.

Amanda gave him a half-smile and nodded. "I'm going to get another cup of coffee before we go. You want one?"

Lee reached out to grasp her hand, but he only ended up with empty air as she moved into the doorway. "Amanda? What's going on?"

"Nothing's going on. Now, get dressed, or we're going to be late," she scolded him lightly before she slipped into the hall.

Lee shook his head as he heard her footsteps descending the stairs. "Something is going on in that head of yours, Amanda, and I'll be damned if I'm not going to find out what it is," he muttered as he tugged off his sleep pants and tossed them toward the bed.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Standing beside the coffee maker in the corner of the bullpen, Billy greeted Amanda with a large smile. "Amanda, it's nice to have you back at the office again. Finally, someone who can keep Scarecrow in line." He laughed heartily as Amanda blushed. Beside her, Lee groaned loudly.

"Well, sir, it's nice to be back. I didn't think I'd miss working as much as I did… but I did… but now I'm back, and I'm glad to back," Amanda babbled nervously.

"How's my little princess?" Francine gushed. Much to everyone's surprise, Francine was quite taken with Lily, and she was living up to her godmother status. She made a point to stop by at least once a week to spend time with the baby, more often than not, bringing new outfits for both girls.

Lee stepped forward, straightened his tie, and corrected, "That's _my_ little princess. And Lily and DJ are doing just fine since you saw them… what two days ago?"

Amanda shook her head and disagreed, "I wouldn't say DJ was doing just fine. She was still pretty upset when we left this morning."

"She just wanted a little extra attention from the men in her life," Lee joked.

"I guess. I mean, she did calm down when you and Philip took turns holding her, but she wanted no part of Mother this morning," Amanda agreed with a shrug.

Billy smiled at the pair and suggested, "We all have our days. Hopefully, she was just fine after you left. My girls used to do that to Jeannie all the time. They would fuss and fuss while I was home, but ten minutes after I walked out the door, they forgot all about me. Out of sight, out of mind."

"Well, let's just hope that's all it is," Lee enunciated firmly. "And not that I wouldn't love to stand here and talk about the girls all morning —" Lee started to change the subject, but Francine quickly cut him off.

"My, my, my, how times have changed, Scarecrow. You used to love regaling us with stories of _your girls_ ," she quipped with a toothy grin and a wink.

Billy flashed her a stern glare as he barked, "Can it, Francine." Francine squared her shoulders without a word and hugged the files she was holding tighter to her chest.

Lee cleared his throat and began again. "As I was saying… I talked to Paul this morning. He wants to know if we've made any progress."

Billy gestured for the small group to follow him into his office. Once everyone was situated, Billy sat back in his chair and noted, "We've had a couple of leads come down the pipeline the last few days. First, it looks like he's on the hit-list of the Russians."

Lee chuckled. "When isn't Paul on the Russian's radar?"

"True, although those reports are the least of our worries," Billy agreed. "Second, we got a report from Pakistan. Looks like he may have stepped on a few toes while he was over there earlier this year."

"Pakistan? Paul? Seriously, Billy, they've got the wrong guy for that one. After what happened in Bhakkar, Paul wouldn't step foot on any sand within a thousand miles," Lee insisted with a sharp jab of his outstretched hand.

Amanda furrowed her eyebrows and asked, "What happened in Bhakkar?"

Francine's eyes widened before she casually dragged out, "Well... let's just say, a few years ago, Paul and a certain college professor opened a can of sandworms he may still regret."

"That was before you and I met," Lee interjected. "When Paul was spending most of his time overseas hunting down mercenaries and arms dealers."

Francine flashed him a wicked grin. "And bed-hopping if half the stories I heard were true. He was… quite the man in his time."

Amanda blinked several times as she processed Francine's words. "I don't get it."

"Paul and the professor had an affair… turns out the woman's husband was on the city council, and he sort of discovered through the affair that the husband was extorting money out of the petty fund," Lee admitted.

"Oh," Amanda gasped. "What happened?"

Billy leaned forward to rest his hands on his desk. "Well, Paul was taken into custody on some phony charges, but thanks to Lee and a few other agents, they were able to securely locate and extract him before he was executed."

"Executed?" Amanda choked. "They were going to execute him?"

Lee folded his arms, shrugged his shoulder nonchalantly, and added, "That's what happens when you play in the wrong sandbox." When he saw the aghast expression on Amanda's face, he smiled and laughed again. "Don't look so shocked, Amanda. You know what Paul is like. He isn't a one-woman kind of guy."

"And you would know… I remember a time not all that long ago where the two of you had a few… shall we say… interesting exploits..." Francine trailed off. Lee turned to glare at her, so she puckered her lips and blew him a kiss before smiling.

"Enough about Pakistan… last on the list of suspects is Buffaili Laperascio," Billy stated.

"Laperascio? The Italian? What could he possibly want with Paul?" Lee demanded.

Francine stood and pulled out a thick folder. "Laperascio… Codename Carcano… last spotted in New York, three days ago." She passed the file to Lee and continued, "Last known hit was four months ago. A Swedish banker. Took him out with one shot… a single barrel, bolt-action rifle. The bullet had Carcano's signature on it."

"A hitman with a signature?" Amanda wondered incredulously.

"Yeah… all of them have one of some kind. Carcano has the number eight stamped on every bullet," Lee informed her as he continued to scan the file.

Amanda glanced over his shoulder and attempted to read. "Why the number eight? That seems like an odd signature."

"It's interesting you should ask that, Amanda. There have been many theories, but the one everyone seems to have agreed upon is the number eight can also be seen as the infinity symbol. On several occasions, Carcano has been known to shout out, "lo sono l'infinito," before he disappeared," Billy informed her.

"Lo sono… what?" Amanda repeated.

"Lo sono l'infinito… I am infinity," Francine translated matter-of-factly. "From what we have gathered through known associates, he sees himself as a god. Only he alone can spare life…"

"Or take one," Lee interjected. He pointed to the page he stopped on. "It says here he slipped past the Italian police and took out their chief a few years back because he thought the guy was corrupt. If I remember right, it turned out the chief was innocent… it was his second in command. After the initial investigation, a warning was sent out to every known intelligence agency. And I quote, 'Carcano is the epitome of pure evil. He subjects his own form of justice when he sees fit. As a hired mercenary, he is uncontrollable and unpredictable.' Billy… what makes you think he has his sights set on Paul? The man's been retired for a few years now. He can't still be making that many waves in the intelligence pool."

Billy folded his hands on his desk and reminded Lee, "I hear you, Scarecrow, but he still has his own fair share of enemies."

Lee pursed his lips tightly and nodded, "Don't we all." He glanced over at Amanda, shifted his position, and coughed. "So where do we start searching for Carcano?"

Billy sighed loudly. "Well, that's where we are at a loss. Since the last attempt on Paul occurred in early July, we haven't had much luck confirming any details. He immediately went into hiding for his own safety, but the chatter is still coming in about who might be after him."

"Sir, the first attempt on Paul's life… what if that was just a few random shots and he really wasn't in danger?" Amanda asked.

"Amanda, those were not a few random shots. Paul was sitting at an outdoor cafe in France. The first shot shattered the wine glass he was holding. The second grazed his skull. To be honest, I think he got lucky. He said if it wasn't for the waitress, he would've been dead. As soon as the first shot rang out, she dove to the ground, knocking into Paul's chair. She may just have saved his life," Lee stated firmly.

Amanda thought fast. "Did anyone interview the waitress after it happened? Maybe she isn't what she seems?"

Francine flipped open another file and shook her head. "The waitress was an eighteen-year-old college student from Fontainebleau, just outside the city. She was fully investigated and came back cleaner than Lily and DJ after bath time."

Amanda returned Francine's explanation with a weak smile. "Thanks."

Francine closed the file. "Amanda, all I'm trying to point out is sometimes things really are what they seem. And this waitress was just an innocent bystander caught in the crossfire, aimed at Paul."

"I know, Francine. But it also doesn't help us find who's after Paul," Amanda retorted meekly.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

The group spent several more minutes going over other theories before Billy dismissed them from his office. "Someone has to do some work around here!" He bellowed but quickly followed with a softer acknowledgment, "It's nice to have you back, Amanda."

Francine retreated to her desk in the bullpen while Amanda and Lee headed up to the Q Bureau. Once inside, Lee immediately started a pot of coffee. Amanda stood in the center of the room and exhaled loudly. "What's wrong?" Lee asked. He pressed the power button on the computer and awaited an answer. When Amanda didn't respond, he studied her face for a moment, walked around his desk, and took her hands in his. "Hey. We're going to figure this out. Don't worry."

Amanda gave his hands a half-hearted squeeze. "I know we will," she whispered. She let go of his hands and stepped closer to her desk. She ran her fingers along the edge and said, "I'm just feeling out of sorts, I guess you can say… I don't know… I just feel like I'm missing something, that's all."

Lee watched his wife, confused. "Missing something? Here? Amanda, there really hasn't been anything to miss. Surprisingly, it's been very quiet the last month or so."

"I guess it's hard to top calling in the bomb squad the day I went into labor," Amanda stated with a raised eyebrow.

Lee's mouth dropped open as he sputtered, "How did you… who told…"

Amanda held her hand up to stop him. "Francine and I had a nice long talk over coffee last week. She accidentally let it slip why you were late getting to the hospital," she informed him.

"Why didn't you say anything?" he asked.

"Why didn't you?" Amanda tossed back.

Lee put his hands on her shoulders and tried to reassure her. "Amanda, I didn't want you to worry about anything when I went back to work two weeks ago."

"And you didn't think I still wouldn't worry? Lee, look at who we are… who you are… what we do for a living… I'm always going to worry about you," Amanda uttered. She suddenly looked away as heat infused her cheeks and tears began to burn her eyes. "And this whole mess with Paul… Are we ever going to be safe?"

"Oh, Amanda," Lee breathed heavily as he pulled her into his arms and hugged her tightly. "I promise you. I'm going to do everything I can to keep us safe. Don't you worry anymore. Please."

Amanda returned his hug with a gentle squeeze before she finally nodded against his shoulder. "First order of business… who's been doing all the filing up here since I've been gone?" she wondered out loud.

Lee leaned back and carefully scanned her face. For the first time since they entered the office, she appeared relaxed, so he let her go and stated, "Francine, I believe. And if I'm not mistaken, that new recruit… um… Roberts was helping her."

"Well, that vault better be just as organized as it was when I left because I'm not going to spend another week trying to get it straightened out," Amanda informed him. She headed straight for the vault. She spun the dial, swung the door open, and exclaimed, "You can't be serious?!"

"What's wrong?" Lee rushed forward to inspect the space. To his dismay, there were six boxes of files stacked up in the corner waiting to be filed. "I'm sorry, Amanda… I just assumed they were filing things, not dumping them in the corner."

Amanda blew out a loud puff of air, pushed up her sleeves, and declared, "Well, I better get started. Very clearly, these files aren't going to put themselves away." She stormed into the small space and immediately lifted a stack of folders.

Lee took a step closer to the vault to help when the phone rang. He quickly changed direction and lifted the receiver. "IFF, Lee Stetson." He listened carefully to the person on the line and tried to interject several times. "Hey… yeah… but… I know… yes… yes… okay… I'll be there. Yeah… One o'clock… One… that's what I said. Okay… see you then." He groaned as he replaced the phone onto the cradle.

"Who was that?" Amanda called from inside the vault.

"Um… that was Paul. He begged me to bring him a chili dog fully loaded. And he thinks he might have a few other ideas of who might be after him," Lee stated.

Amanda stepped into view, leaned against the doorway, and suggested, "Why don't you drop me off at the house before you go? I can finish up all this filing, go over the notes Billy left for me on my desk, and get the tapes from Transcription."

Lee peered around her at the stack of files waiting to be put away. "Seriously, Amanda. You think you'll get that all done in two hours?"

Amanda playfully pushed him out of the vault as she remarked, "If I remember correctly… just about a year ago, you were questioning the same thing. I got it done then, and I'll get it done now… only this time, I'm not going to find any surprises that will lead us to a new case."

"You hope," Lee tossed back with a silly grin.

Amanda stopped moving for a moment and sighed happily for the first time that day. "If you recall, if it wasn't for the fact that I was organizing the files, we never would've found that shirt and that envelope which helped us figure out who Lauren was and what her mother was really up to," she reminded him.

"And we never would have met Charlie," Lee commented.

"And we wouldn't have gotten married in front of our family and friends," Amanda asserted.

Lee took a step closer to his wife, kissed the tip of her nose, and winked. "And we wouldn't have our beautiful babies at home either."

Amanda gazed into his hazel eyes, completely filled with love, and declared, "You are one hundred percent right on that one, buster. Can you imagine where we would still be right now?"

"Knowing us… frustrated, trying to keep everything a secret still," Lee acknowledged. "Okay… I'll get out of your hair so you can get this done. Maybe I'll give Dotty a call to check on DJ before I head downstairs."

Amanda pointed at her husband and demanded, "Don't you dare! I don't want Mother thinking we don't trust her two hours after we left."

Lee groaned loudly. "I do trust her… implicitly… It's just… I want to make sure DJ stopped crying, that's all. It hurt listening to her like that when we were leaving," he admitted.

Amanda pressed her finger gently against her husband's tie and assured him, "She's just fine. I'm sure of it. Now, stop worrying. And get me some coffee."

"Yes, ma'am," Lee joked before he lifted her hand to his lips and brushed a kiss across her fingers. He watched her face pinken as she lowered her eyes slightly. He sprinkled several more kisses across the back of her hand before he gently rotated it to press his lips against the tender skin of her wrist. Amanda giggled contently in response. "I have an idea… Let's say you and I sneak off and check ourselves into the Williard for a few hours and see what kind of trouble we can get into." Lee suckled her wrist again with a wink.

Slowly Amanda pulled her hand back and admonished him, "We can't… for more reasons than one."

"Amanda… I thought Doctor Johanson gave us the all-clear? We haven't had any time to… you know…" Lee whined.

"Lee, now is not the time to be discussing… THAT. Now, please. Let me get all this put away and do everything else I have to do before you need to go see Paul," Amanda expressed firmly.

Lee rolled his eyes and turned away as he muttered, "Fine, but I don't have to like it."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Paul moaned as he sunk his teeth into the Milo's chili dog Lee brought him. "God, I've missed real food!" he grumbled.

"Paul, who do you think might be taking shots at you if it isn't Carcano?" Lee pressed. He'd been sitting at the table with his mentor for over twenty minutes, watching him devour the meal he brought him.

Paul tapped the corners of his mouth with a napkin and chewed thoughtfully for a moment. "I have to admit, Scarecrow, Carcano wasn't even on my radar. Jimmy the Greek… maybe. Ivanovich… definitely. Hell, even Erin O'Malley in Ireland seems to have a good reason to take a few shots at me but Carcano… not even close."

Lee held up his hand and demanded, "Wait. Stop! Back this up. Jimmy the Greek?"

"Jimmy the Greek and I had a little disagreement over a poker game in Cannes. He claimed I cheated. I didn't, but I know _he_ did. A few words were exchanged and, long story short, Jimmy threatened to kill me if he ever saw me again," Paul elaborated.

Lee pulled out his small notepad and a pen and began making notes. "Jimmy the Greek. Got it. I'll have Amanda track down his whereabouts since this whole thing started. Now, who else… Ivanovich? Don't tell me you were drinking with him again?" Lee laughed.

Paul took a sip of the soft drink Lee brought him, rinsing his mouth. "No way. I learned my lesson the last time. I wasn't drinking with Ivanovich," he insisted.

"Okay, then what was it then?" Lee questioned.

"His sister," Paul blurted out.

Lee dropped the pen he was holding and demanded, "What about his sister?"

Paul quickly took another large bite of the chili dog to buy himself a few minutes while Lee fumed silently, waiting for an answer. Finally, he cleared his throat and disclosed, "We were in Zelenograd, just outside Moscow. I swear I didn't know who she was until after we got to talking. She commented my Russian was good, I complimented her on her…" Paul paused and gestured toward his chest.

"You didn't!" Lee begged.

"Not in so many words! I said I liked her shirt, and—" Paul stopped again.

"And what?" Lee roared.

Paul stared directly into Lee's face as he shared, "And everything in it. But I swear… I never touched her _that_ night. I only drank with her."

Lee tipped his head slightly and tightened his jaw as he watched the smirk play across Paul's face. "What aren't you telling me?"

"Nothing. That's all there is to tell," Paul swore.

Lee folded his arms and barked, "Then why do you think Ivanovich is after you?"

"Because I sort of told her the next time she was in France to look me up," Paul grunted.

"Let me guess… Ivanovich found out," Lee surmised.

Paul shook his head and admitted, "Not exactly. I was with Katerina at the cafe when someone took those shots at me."

"So, you think Ivanovich was taking potshots at you or using you for target practice?" Lee snapped.

Paul smiled and nodded his head. "Boy, let me tell you… it was definitely worth the risk. That woman can do things to you that can put you in another dimension," Paul snickered.

Lee pinched the bridge of his nose before he jotted down the information into his notebook. "Fine. We have Jimmy the Greek and Ivanovich. Who else did you say you wanted to add to your cast of characters?"

"Erin. Erin O'Malley from Ireland," Paul clarified.

Lee studied Paul's face carefully. "Did you have sex with her, too?" Lee demanded point-blank.

"O'Malley? Oh, God, no!" Paul reeled. "She's young enough to be my daughter if I had one."

Lee exhaled softly. "Then why do you think she's out to kill you?"

Paul finished off the last bite of his chili dog, balled up the wrapper, and aimed for the basket across the room. When it landed perfectly in the receptacle, he laughed, "I still got it!"

"You didn't answer me," Lee reminded him.

"I was doing some freelance work with Scotland Yard, and I sort of set her brother up in an arms deal that went south. He's in the pokey for the next six to ten years, thanks to me," Paul offered.

Lee took note of Erin O'Malley's information and tucked the notepad back into his suit jacket pocket. He clapped his hands together and asked, "Anything else you want to share?"

Paul stood and stretched his arms over his head before giving his entire body a quick shake. "What do you think the odds are that we can head outside for a little bit, huh?" he requested.

Lee checked his Glock to see if it was situated firmly in his holster and nodded. "Sure. We can sit out back for a bit," Lee agreed. "Are you going to add anything else to your tale of woe?"

"Nope. Now, I just want to sit with the sun on my face and talk to an old friend about something other than who might be trying to kill me," Paul grinned.

Lee returned his tease with a dimpled smile, "Who you calling old?"

"You! The family man. I have to say, Lee, I never saw it coming for you. Scarecrow… a father to not only twins but two teenage boys as well," Paul chided as they stepped out the back door into the sunlit yard. They settled themselves into two lounge chairs in the corner and continued to talk.

"Well, the boys aren't mine… nor will I ever claim them to be. But they are great kids. They've been a lot more help than I ever expected with the girls and with Charlie," Lee beamed.

"Charlie… that's Harry's grandson, isn't it?" Lee gave him an affirmatory nod. "That was another one… Harry Thornton has a daughter AND a grandson."

Lee closed his eyes and enjoyed the bright sun on his face for the moment. "Who knows," he said as he sat forward. "Maybe one of these days, it will be your turn."

"Those days for me are long gone, my friend. At this point, I'd be happy just living my life without looking over my shoulder," Paul reckoned.

The two men sat in silence for several minutes before Lee glanced down at his watch. "Hey, Paul, as much as I would love to stay here all afternoon, I should get going. I promised Amanda I would pick the boys up from school on my way home."

"So soon?" Paul groaned.

"Yeah, but I'll be back. I promise. I'll swing by later this week and let you know where we are on all the background checks." Lee stood and took several steps to the back door. Without warning, two shots in rapid succession rang out around them.

"Paul, get down!" Lee shouted as he dove to the ground, rolled, and extracted his weapon. He scanned the tree line beyond the fence as he tried to focus on where the shots may have come from. He watched Paul scramble across the yard on his belly toward him. Two more shots buried themselves into the grass beside Paul. He froze in panic, his eyes wide. Lee rose to a crouched position and crept slowly to his friend. When he reached him, he immediately placed his hand on Paul's shoulder and asked, "Are you okay?" Paul nodded, fear written on his face. "Together, we are going to make a break for the door. You got it?" Lee instructed. With another quick nod, Paul found his feet and waited for Lee's cue.

"NOW!" Lee commanded, and the two men darted toward the back of the house. Several more shots rang out, ricocheting off the trees around them. One bullet sent a large chunk of wood spinning in Lee's direction. Paul gave him a hard shove, and the splinter passed harmlessly between them. The pair ducked behind the trunk of a large oak tree several yards from the door. With pounding hearts, the two men panted slightly as adrenalin rushed through their veins.

"Where are they coming from?" Paul demanded.

"I'm not sure. But we can make this. I'll cover you… just get inside!" Lee bellowed as he trained his weapon toward the trees and fired.

Paul took his signal and immediately began running. He managed to get inside and turned to shout, "Come on, Lee!" Paul looked around the kitchen, into the living room, wondering where the other agents were, but he found both rooms empty. He turned back and watched Lee fire two more shots before he sprinted. Lee was almost inside when another shot rang out, and he spun around, hitting the ground full force. A dark red stain began spreading across the sleeve of his grey suit jacket. "Lee!" Paul howled. Without a second thought to his own safety, Paul stepped back outside, grabbed Lee under the arms, and dragged him inside.

"Where the hell is Marty?!" Lee snapped angrily.

As if on cue, Marty entered through the front door, his weapon drawn. "I was out front, checking in with the guys in the van. What the hell is happening?"

"What the hell do you think is happening? Someone's shooting at us, dammit!" Lee retorted angrily. Marty dodged the furniture and headed out the back door to investigate. Lee groaned as he shifted his arm painfully. "Amanda's gonna kill me."

"Better Amanda than whoever it is out there!" Paul scoffed. He ducked into the bathroom and came out with a first aid kit.

Several minutes later, Marty found them attending to the injury on Lee's arm where the bullet grazed. "Whoever that was, they're gone now. I have Conlin and Marks checking the woods for evidence. You okay?"

"Yeah, it's just a scratch. I'll have McJohn take a look later," Lee groused. He sighed, looked back at Paul, and stated, "Looks like we need to find you a new home, Wizard."

Paul nodded, "Just make sure the next place has better food, can you?"


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Lee arrived home with the boys to find Amanda pacing the floor with DJ in her arms, crying again. He stopped in the family room long enough to see Lily happily playing on the floor on an activity mat. Amanda appeared slightly frazzled as she continued to bounce and rock the seemingly inconsolable infant. Instinctively, Lee went into overprotective mode. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know," Amanda admitted. "Mother said she was like this most of the morning. She barely napped. The only time she's not crying is when she has a bottle in her mouth, but for the last hour, even that hasn't worked."

"How long have you been pacing with her?" he fretted.

Amanda looked at the clock and quickly snapped, "About forty-five minutes."

He studied his wife carefully. Her normally relaxed demeanor was replaced with a nervous, tense presence. "Let me take her for a while. You look like you need a break," he offered with a tentative grin.

"No… I can figure this out. It can't be that hard, right? I mean, she's been fed. She has a clean diaper. Her diapers were all normal today, so that should rule out any issues with her belly. She's too little to be teething. She doesn't have a fever. No runny nose or cough, so she's not sick. She's just… crying," Amanda slowly rattled off everything she could think of. "Again," she added mournfully.

Lee held his arms out. "Really, Amanda, let me take her. Go get a cup of tea and take a few minutes for yourself."

Ignoring his request, Amanda demanded, "Where's your suit jacket? And that isn't the same shirt you were wearing this morning."

"I… ah… my jacket sort of got ruined… so did my shirt," Lee replied. He glanced toward the kitchen nervously, hoping no one else could hear them. "But Doc McJohn said my arm will be fine. It doesn't even hurt anymore."

"What happened to your arm?" Amanda narrowed her eyes at him.

Lee inhaled sharply when he remembered the events earlier that afternoon. "It's just a scratch, really," he insisted.

"Just a scratch? How did you get that scratch?" she questioned as she continued to rock side to side.

Lee reached out to stop her movement. He tried to lift DJ from Amanda's grasp gently. "I'll tell you later. Right now, just let me hold DJ for a few minutes, please?" he pleaded as Amanda held her daughter tightly against her chest. DJ continued to wail incessantly and uncontrollably in Amanda's arms.

"Oh, DJ! What is wrong with you today?" Amanda lamented. She rocked the baby a few more times before she looked into Lee's concerned face and finally conceded. "Maybe Daddy will have better luck because nothing I've done seems to be working." She allowed Lee to take the baby, and after just a few minutes of being snuggled in his arms, DJ's cries became soft whimpers until the sound ceased completely. Much to Amanda's dismay, DJ nestled herself against Lee's chest and was soon fast asleep. "I don't believe it," she gasped. "I've been trying for almost an hour to get her to calm down, and all you did was hold her for a few minutes, and she's out cold." Frustrated, Amanda threw her hands in the air, "What am I doing wrong?"

Lee reached out with his free hand to pull his frazzled wife closer, but Amanda took a step away from him and folded her arms angrily. "Amanda… I don't think you're doing anything wrong. Maybe DJ just —" Lee tried, but Amanda's glare stopped him.

"If I'm not doing anything wrong, then why didn't she stop crying?" Amanda hissed.

"Amanda, just stop!" Lee commanded. He clenched his jaw for a moment before he requested, "Can we go upstairs and talk… privately?"

"Fine," Amanda snapped and stormed up the stairs.

Lee peeked into the kitchen to see Dotty watching them intently. He didn't miss her raised eyebrows or her pursed lips. He shrugged his shoulders and shook his head as a silent explanation before he followed Amanda up the stairs to their bedroom. Once in the room, he found Amanda in her closet, rearranging clothes. He carefully laid DJ into one of the two bassinets and moved to stand in the doorway. "Amanda," he breathed out her name to get her attention.

Amanda stopped mid-move as she hesitated at the sound of his voice. She straightened the hanger in her hand, turned back to her husband, and demanded, "What happened to your arm?"

Unconsciously, Lee ran his hand over the bandage wrapped around his bicep. "Paul and I were outside talking when someone started shooting at us," he explained.

"Was Paul hit?" Amanda questioned frostily.

"No. No, I covered him while he made a break for the house. He made it inside… scared… but in one piece," Lee confided.

"Who was covering you?" she snapped angrily.

Lee ran his hand through his hair and admitted, "Marty was checking in with the guys in the van out front when everything went down. By the time Paul dragged me in the house, the shooter was long gone."

"Let me see it," Amanda challenged.

"Amanda, I'm telling you, it's just a scratch. McJohn gave me some antibiotic cream and said it shouldn't even scar," Lee asserted.

Amanda brushed past Lee and sat on the edge of the bed before she asked, "How did they find you?"

"I don't know," Lee admitted.

"Do you think you were followed?" Amanda fired off another question angrily.

Lee narrowed his eyes, tipped his head slightly, and growled, "What do you think I am? A freshman agent? No, I wasn't followed!" From inside the bassinet, DJ began whimpering.

"That didn't take long," Amanda noted. She swiftly crossed the room and lifted DJ into her arms. Almost instantly, the baby began to cry. Amanda groaned loudly as she attempted once again to comfort her daughter.

"Here," Lee stepped forward and held out his hands. "My arm doesn't even hurt."

Amanda kissed her daughter's head and relinquished her into Lee's arms. Just as before, as soon as DJ was reclined against Lee's shoulder, she immediately settled back down and went to sleep. "Well, I guess the only thing DJ really wants is you, so I am going to go back downstairs and help Mother with dinner." Amanda turned and headed for the door.

"Amanda, wait," Lee pleaded. Amanda stopped and peered back at her husband. "Will you tell me what's going through that beautiful head of yours?"

Amanda retraced her steps. She exhaled slowly, reached up, and ran her hand lovingly down her daughter's back. She pressed up on her toes to peck a quick kiss on Lee's cheek and assured him, "Nothing's going on. I'm just feeling a little… off… that's all. Now that DJ is settled, that makes me feel a little better. Maybe a good nap is all she needs, and she'll be back to her sweet self, and I'll be just fine too."

Lee captured her jaw with his hand and caressed her cheek softly with the pad of his thumb. "You sure?"

Amanda blinked several times, kissed him again, and nodded. "I'm sure."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Lee spent most of the evening holding DJ in his arms to keep her calm. Lily was quite content to be the center of everyone else's attention. She babbled and giggled as the boys shook toys in her direction while they sat on the floor, working on their homework in the family room. Each time Lee attempted to put DJ in her bouncy seat beside her sister, she burst into tears once more.

"I don't know, Amanda. I would call Dr. Goodman if I were you," Dotty stated as she washed the remaining dinner dishes.

Amanda sat at the kitchen island, nursing a cup of tea. "I'm sure it's nothing, Mother."

"But you don't know that, Amanda! Something might be wrong with that precious little baby in there, and you don't know!" Dotty insisted.

Amanda groaned loudly, "Oh, Mother. How could you even suggest such a thing? Look at her. She's sleeping peacefully in Lee's arms right now. She seems perfectly happy. Maybe she was just having a bad day. Maybe… maybe she just sensed I was a little nervous going back to work. Maybe she just needed her daddy."

"Or maybe you just don't want to admit —" Dotty lectured as she swung the soapy glass wand in her hand.

"Dotty, I have to agree with Amanda on this one," Lee stopped her. "I think DJ has been feeling a little of what we've all been feeling this week. Her whole world has become a little different. I went back to work two weeks ago. The boys are gone all day, and now today, Amanda left for a few hours. She doesn't know what to make of it." He carefully shifted DJ in his arms to cradle her bottom in the crook of his elbow. She grunted softly and slowly opened her eyes.

"Hey, there, DJ," Amanda stroked her back gently as she spoke quietly. "You happy now that Daddy's got you?" DJ responded by rubbing her head against Lee's chest several times. Amanda smiled at her daughter and asked, "You hungry?"

"Lily's hungry!" Jamie replied from the family room. "She's trying to eat my fingers," he laughed.

A relaxed smile spread across Amanda's face for the first time all day. "I guess I'll make the bottles then." She smoothed an imaginary wrinkle on Lee's t-shirt and asked, "Do you want to feed DJ, and I'll take Lily?"

Lee captured her hand with his free one and nodded. "Whatever makes everyone happy today."

Their evening routine continued after the twins were fed, and the family enjoyed dessert while they chatted about their day. "I really don't think I like my new science teacher," Philip groaned. "She's nice and all, but she kept correcting Billy Hall's pronunciation of words. I mean, who cares if he says ree-buh-nucleic acid instead of ry-bo-nucleic acid. We all knew he meant!"

"I don't know. My math teacher seems pretty cool. He says we're going to work on projects to help explain things better," Jamie informed them.

"What do you mean?" Lee probed as he shifted DJ again before he lifted his coffee mug to his lips.

Jamie shoveled another scoop of ice cream into his mouth. "He says we are going to use measurements and things like balls and bats to calculate how fast velocity and force works. He also said he has a friend that is going to let us use his radar gun to see how right we are."

Amanda patted Lily's chubby leg as she smiled at her son. "Sounds like you have a pretty good teacher there. Did he tell you anything else you're going to be working on this year?"

"Yeah… he said we're going to be spending as much time outside of the classroom as we can. He believes we might learn better in a different space. He told us we don't live in a box. Why should we learn in one," Jamie paraphrased.

Lee adjusted DJ in his arms to face the table and nodded. "I like him more and more."

"Lee, DJ's..." Philip blanched and covered his mouth.

Lee leaned to the side to see spit-up running down the front of DJ's pajamas before it puddled on his leg. He snatched a napkin off the table and dabbed at her chin first while Dotty scrambled to her feet to get the dishtowel for him. "Is that what's been bothering you all day?" Lee asked his daughter softly.

Dotty handed him the towel and offered, "I'll take her and clean her up for you, Lee. Maybe you can still enjoy your coffee."

"Thanks, Dotty. I appreciate that," Lee acknowledged. He wiped at the mess on his leg, shook his head, and tossed the towel over his knee. "I'll put it all in the wash in a minute." He turned back to the boys and asked, "Any other homework you fellas have to work on tonight?"

"Not me!" Jamie cheered.

Philip smiled along with his brother. "Nope! Finished it all earlier. Oh, Mom, I'm scheduled to work the next few days. Do you think it will be a problem to drop me off on the way home from school?"

Amanda raised her eyebrows at Lee, who gave her a subtle shake. "No, sweetheart, that should be just fine. I'm only working half days for the next few weeks," Amanda assured him.

"How was work this morning, Mom?" Philip wondered as he finished off his ice cream.

Amanda gazed at her son for a moment and replied, "It was good. I had a lot of filing to get caught up on, and Lee and I have a new documentary we are working on, so tomorrow I have a lot of research to do."

" _You_ will. I have a bunch of meetings tomorrow," Lee groaned playfully.

Dotty returned to the kitchen, carrying DJ. "She is one tired little girl. She was almost asleep while I was changing her," Dotty declared. She snuggled DJ under her chin, brushed her lips across the baby's head, and added, "Maybe tonight will be a good night after the day she's had."

Amanda looked at the clock and agreed, "It's getting late. We should probably tuck them both in." She rose to her feet and held Lily out for Dotty and the boys to say goodnight. Dotty passed DJ back to Lee, and they carried the girls to their room. They kissed each infant before laying them side by side in the crib. Amanda rested her hand on DJ for a few extra seconds before they left the room.

"I'm going to head up and take a shower," Lee announced. He put his hands on Amanda's shoulders, kissed her lovingly, and teased softly, "You want to join me?"

Amanda kissed his cheek and shook her head, "I have a few more things to do down here. I'll meet you up there." She turned away and descended the stairs. Frustrated, Lee exhaled before he headed to their bedroom.

A few hours later, Amanda awoke to find Lee missing from their bed. Confused, she checked the bathroom then went in search of her husband. She found him asleep in the recliner with both Lily and DJ in his arms. She shook him gently to wake him before she whispered, "What's wrong?"

Lee glanced down at his daughters before blinking at his wife. "Nothing… I heard DJ, but you were still sleeping. I came down to get her, and by that time, Lily was awake too," Lee explained. "Go back to bed. I'll stay here with them."

"Are you sure? Are you comfortable enough?" Amanda questioned.

Lee nodded and spoke softly, "Yeah… I'm just fine. Get some sleep. I love you!"

"I love you, too." Amanda leaned down and kissed him. She touched each of her girls gently, pulled the light blanket over the three of them, and climbed the stairs alone.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

The next morning at the Agency, everyone was gathered in the conference room for the daily briefing. "For our last piece of business this morning...I'm sure you've all heard by now about the attempt on Paul Barnes again yesterday," Billy announced. Amanda toyed nervously with her pen as the other agents around them whispered and muttered their own comments. "Now, we still do not have any clear suspect at this point. Amanda, you have that list from Paul to start doing full background checks this morning. Don't leave any stone unturned on this one," he instructed.

"Will do, sir," Amanda assured him.

"Scarecrow… you were with Paul when it happened… How's the arm?" Billy shifted his focus.

Lee rubbed his upper arm and stated, "I'll be fine. It's Paul I'm really worried about. How's the new location?"

Billy scratched at his chin and replied, "We've shifted him multiple times in the last eighteen hours along with several decoys. Hopefully, we've fooled whoever is after him… at least for the time being."

"What I don't understand is how they found him?" Francine mused.

Lee tapped his pencil on the desk. "Like I said in my report, I wasn't followed. There was no one on the road whatsoever. I mean… he was at a secure location, in a house surrounded by woods."

"You think it could have been an accident? Maybe a hunter mistaking you both for deer?" Francine suggested.

"No!" Lee snapped. "Not possible. No… I think whoever it was, knew who they were after… The question is… How did they know how to find us?"

Amanda lifted her chin and speculated, "Could it be someone on the inside?"

Billy turned and asked thoughtfully, "What are you saying, Amanda? Do you think we have a mole?"

Amanda shrugged her shoulders. "Not necessarily a mole but more like someone at the Agency with a grudge against Paul?" Again, the room was filled with mutters and soft conversation at Amanda's idea.

"I don't think so, Amanda," Lee disagreed. "Paul's been around a long time, but he didn't step on too many toes while he was here."

"No, that was your department," Francine quipped.

Across the table, Johnson inserted, "Well, there was that one case Paul worked on. Pissed everyone off. Mackenzie didn't lay off him for weeks about it."

Amanda readied her notepad. "What case was that?"

"Operation Timepiece," Johnson responded. "Even the Wizard couldn't use his magic to 'Sim Sala Bin' his way through that one."

"Operation Timepiece? What was that about?" Amanda requested.

Lee was the first to speak up. "Operation Timepiece was an investigation into German weapons and ammunition smuggling back in the mid-70s. Paul managed to piece together a certain Grandfather clock factory was smuggling out the ammunition. What they would do is line the clocks with false panels, so no one suspected a thing. When he brought the information to the German authorities, he really wasn't greeted with open arms, so to speak."

"So what happened?" Amanda urged.

"Well, the Wizard tried to use what little pull he had over there to expedite arrests… which in turn shut down the factory, and over a hundred workers lost their jobs. If he just waited another day or two, he would've discovered it was only a handful of workers who were actually involved. Instead, he destroyed an entire village's major source of income," Lee explained.

Amanda placed her pencil down gently and gasped, "Oh."

"That's when Paul was moved from smuggling to mercenaries," Johnson laughed. "He fouled up the weapons, so let him take down the bad guys themselves."

Angrily, Lee pointed at Johnson and spat, "Hey… if it weren't for agents like Paul, you wouldn't have a job right now!"

Before things escalated any further, Billy commanded, "Settle down, people. We're not here to judge Barnes on what he did right or wrong… we're here to try to figure out who might possibly have a motive to kill him!"

"What about an old girlfriend?" Francine suggested. "I mean, Paul has more notches on his belt than Lee does…umm... did… sorry, Amanda." Francine paused long enough to give Amanda a weak, apologetic look before she added, "Maybe he burned the wrong heart."

Billy pursed his lips. "That's not a bad angle, Francine. Lee, head over there and talk to Paul again. See if he has any of his black books with him, and if he doesn't, find out where you can get your hands on them. We need to get on top of this as soon as possible."

Everyone in the conference room stood. They collected their assignments and notepads before filing out of the room. Lee, Amanda, and Francine hung back, waiting for the room to clear.

"Well, Amanda, second day back, and you've already got a full workload. Fun-fun-fun," Francine teased.

Amanda returned her friend's smile and joked, "I'd rather have a full load of work than be stuck babysitting freshman agents who don't know how to file properly."

Confused, Francine's face fell, and she asked, "Amanda, what are you talking about?"

"She's talking about the six boxes of filing Roberts dumped in the corner of the vault," Lee interjected.

"Roberts? No… he was in there for over an hour each time, putting things away. I mean, every time I checked on him, he was elbow deep in a drawer," Francine countered.

Amanda reached out and touched Francine's arm. "Ignore Lee. It didn't take me long, honestly. I was just a little surprised to find the vault the way it was."

"Amanda, I still don't know what you mean." Francine tapped the file in her arms in annoyance.

Billy joined the small group and interrupted, "Lee, what time will you be heading over to see Paul?"

"I told him I would be there as soon as we finished up the meeting. Unless you have something else you need me to do first," Lee informed Billy.

"I want Amanda to get a jump on those background checks right away. Like I said… get his black books. Francine may be onto something with this scorned woman thing. From what you described, the shooter didn't have the best aim, so maybe we're not dealing with a professional," Billy suggested.

Lee sat on the edge of the table and contemplated Billy's idea. "So you think this might be personal?"

Billy chuckled, slapped Lee on the shoulder, and stated, "Everything with Paul is personal."

"You got that right. Okay, let me just get my stuff from the Q Bureau, and I'll head over there," Lee declared.

"So, Amanda, how was your first day back?" Billy turned and smiled at her.

Amanda exhaled and returned his smile. "Yesterday was tough, but today started out much better." Billy tipped his head and waited for her to elaborate. "DJ was very upset for most of the day, but I just got off the phone with Mother, and she said she's much happier today. Mother figured out if she put one of Lee's t-shirts under her in the bouncy seat, DJ isn't as grumpy as she was yesterday."

"Another woman intoxicated by your scent, Scarecrow," Francine jabbed.

Lee grinned at her, his dimples deep. He raised his hands and chuckled, "What can I say, Francine. They find me irresistible!"

Amanda laughed loudly at her husband and teased, "That's what you think!"


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Amanda sat at the computer in the Q Bureau and diligently worked through the list of names Paul gave to Lee. She wrote meticulous notes on the pad beside her, as she managed to cross-check every fact she uncovered. She was completely focused on her task when Lee slipped into the office quietly and studied his wife. He crept slowly behind her and peered over her shoulder. "Hey there," she acknowledged as she continued to scroll through the information on the screen.

"Hey there, yourself," Lee teased. He glanced around furtively before leaning forward. He brushed his lips against Amanda's neck, just under her ear, drawing an involuntary shudder from her. "How are the background checks coming?" he mumbled against her skin.

Amanda rolled her head to the side and sighed happily as she whispered back, "Fine."

"Mmm?" Lee hummed against the sensitive spot of her neck. Amanda closed her eyes and allowed her hand to drift upward to run into his hair. "Find anything interesting?" Lee inquired before he flicked his tongue against the tip of her ear.

"Not really," Amanda replied breathlessly.

Lee pressed his lips to her temple. "Maybe I can help you with that?" He slid one hand down her shoulder to her elbow, tracing the soft skin of her forearm to her wrist. He turned her hand over slowly and traced the lines of her palm with his fingertips.

Amanda opened her eyes and gently closed her hand around his. "We need to stop," she whispered halfheartedly.

"No we don't," Lee countered. Lee leaned close and exhaled, "I locked the door."

"Lee, we're at work!" Amanda insisted. He tried to kiss her neck once more, but she lifted her shoulder and turned away slightly.

"Fine," Lee grumbled. He straightened himself up and sat on the edge of his desk. "But maybe we can continue this at home later," he seductively teased with a wink.

Amanda just rolled her eyes at him before she asked, "Anything new from Paul?"

"Not really. Luckily he had his black books with him… all six of them. I don't feel so bad now," Lee laughed. "I gave them to Francine to sort through. Our first order of business is to identify what his symbols mean. When I left her, she was on the phone with him making a list."

Amanda patted Lee's knee. "Well, you have your secrets, and he has his. I'm sure we'll get to the bottom of all of this in no time." She turned back to the computer and pointed to the screen. "I did, however, find something interesting on Jimmy the Greek. Full name James Pagonis. He is wanted for a number of art thefts across Europe."

Lee shrugged his shoulders. "Nothing odd about that. We all have a few guys like that in our back pockets. We toss 'em a few bucks here and there in a poker game or something, and they provide us with information. Very typical for anyone in this business."

"Well, what if I told you he was tagged coming into Dulles less than a week ago?" Amanda offered. She lifted a computer printout and dangled it from two fingers.

Lee snatched the paper and scanned the printed words. "I'd say that's one hell of a coincidence. Good work, Amanda!"

"It might not mean anything, but then again, it might mean everything." Amanda turned back to the screen. "Right now, I'm trying to track down what hotel he might be in. I've tried several different aliases he's used in the past… James Gilly, Jimmy Sparks, Sir James Edward Roland, to name a few. So far, I haven't had any hits, but I'm still trying."

Lee glanced at his watch and reminded her, "You'll need to wrap it up here soon and pick up that trail again from home."

"Shoot! Is it almost that time?" Amanda cursed.

"Well, if the girls cooperate, you'll have a few hours this afternoon while they nap. Dotty said they're just fine today. Must have been that solid night of sleep that did it," Lee grinned.

Amanda began shutting down the screens on the computer and asked, "How's your back? That chair isn't all that comfortable to sleep in all night. I know… I've done it."

"It wasn't that bad," Lee disputed. He watched Amanda stack her notepad and the files into a neat pile before she dropped them into her tote bag to bring home. "Seriously, I've slept in worse places."

Amanda smiled at her husband and joked, "Well, this time, you can say you did it with a set of identical twins."

"Ha-ha, very funny," Lee retorted, although the silly grin on his face told her he wasn't angry. "I'm going to drop you off at the house, maybe run in to grab a bite to eat, then I have a few leads of my own I'd like to follow up on."

Amanda raised an eyebrow as she interjected, "Oh?"

"I'm going to stop by ballistics and see if they came up with anything on the slugs they dug out of the tree and the house. If I'm right, we can cross Carcano off our list of suspects," Lee explained.

"Well, I think I can help cross off a few more for you, too. Ivanovich was killed a few days ago in a car bombing. I've also managed to figure out the intel you had on Paul and the Russians was Ivanovich. That kills two birds with one stone… no pun intended," Amanda chuckled. "But I still haven't found much on Erin O'Malley. She's been a little bit of a mystery." As she summarized, they made their way into the hallway and began to descend the stairs.

"From what Paul told me, she's not really in this business. She might've been revenging her brother," Lee stated. He paused long enough to smile at Mrs. Marston, who was watching them intently.

"Oh, Scarecrow," Mrs. Marston called his name. "When are you bringing those precious babies by so I can see them again?"

Lee placed his hand lovingly around Amanda's waist and assured the older woman, "Very soon. We promise."

"I hope so. I don't want to be long gone by the time you get around to it," she shot back with a pointed look.

"Don't worry, Mrs. Marston," Amanda replied softly. "We will bring them by next week. One of the girls is having a tough time adjusting to our new schedule, so as soon as she's settled, we will bring them by."

Mrs. Marston gave them a knowing smile. "Sounds like trouble in Oz."

Lee shook his head. "Not trouble… just a little bump in the road, that's all."

Mrs. Marston chuckled before she added, "Be sure to say hello to the Wizard when you see him this afternoon."

"Will do, Mrs. Marston. Anything else you want me to pass on?" Lee questioned lightheartedly. He unclipped his badge and handed it to her. Amanda silently followed suit.

Mrs. Marston smiled and said, "If he gets killed before I see him or your beautiful babies, I'll never forgive him." She tucked the badges into the top drawer of her desk.

"Well, I guess we best be sure that doesn't happen then, won't we," Amanda insisted before she and Lee turned and headed outside.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

"Mother?" Amanda called as she entered the house.

"In here!" Dotty returned loudly. "Is Lee with you?"

Amanda found Dotty folding laundry when she returned home. "No, he had a meeting… Mother, I told you I would take care of that this afternoon," Amanda insisted. "You've had your hands full all morning with the girls. You don't need to do the laundry, too!"

Dotty smiled at her daughter and shook her head. "It's no trouble at all, really, Amanda. As a matter of fact, Lily and DJ have been sweet little angels all morning. I just gave them a bottle and put them down a few minutes ago."

Amanda sat on the couch beside her mother and reached over to hug her. "Thank you, Mother. I don't feel like I say that enough. You've been such a blessing to me."

"That's what mothers are for, darling. We don't just up and stop helping when our children get to be a certain age!" Dotty appealed to her daughter.

"I know that. But you're always here when I need you… when anyone needs you!" Amanda emphatically stated as she held Dotty's hands. "I just don't know what we would do without you!"

Dotty kissed Amanda's cheek and laughed, "Well, I don't want to disappoint you, Amanda, but Curt asked me to spend the night tonight. I thought since Joe and Carrie have the boys, and you don't have to work tomorrow that you and Lee could handle the girls yourselves… and it might give you two some alone time."

Heat crept into Amanda's cheeks as she diverted her eyes away from her mother's gaze. "I'm not ready for that, Mother… honest," Amanda whispered.

"Amanda! I don't believe you!" Dotty admonished her. "I thought Dr. Johansen said you're all healed?"

Amanda toyed with her mother's hands as she admitted, "I know what Dr. Johansen said, but I'm not feeling ready for that yet."

"What do you mean, darling?" Dotty pushed gently. When Amanda didn't respond immediately, she lifted her chin and asked, "Are you afraid?"

"Afraid? No… not in the way you're thinking," Amanda stated as she shook her head. "I just don't feel… I'm not really sure what the word is…" Her voice trailed off as she tried to figure out how to explain to her mother exactly what she was feeling.

Dotty brushed Amanda's hair off her cheek before she patted her hand. "Amanda, did I ever tell you how wonderful your daddy was?" she began.

Amanda lifted her head, confused. "You always talk about Daddy," Amanda replied softly.

"But did I ever tell you the story of what your father did when you were just a few months old?" Dotty continued.

"I don't think so." Amanda settled against the couch and waited for her mother to continue.

Dotty focused on folding a shirt as she began her story. "Well, we brought you home from the hospital, and you were such a good baby. You slept through the night after only a few weeks, and you barely ever cried. Sort of how the boys were as babies." Dotty paused and lifted another article of clothing. Amanda reached into the basket, pulled out the pile of socks, and began matching them as Dotty continued. "Anyway. About six… maybe eight weeks after you were born, the doctor gave us the okay to resume activities as he put it. I never understood why they say things like that… I mean, being intimate with your husband is one thing but calling it an activity… well, that makes it sound so… so…"

"Impersonal?" Amanda laughed.

"Exactly!" Dotty agreed. "Anyway… your father knew I was hesitant to get back in the saddle."

"Mother," Amanda groaned as she covered her face with one hand.

"Well… to make a long story short… your father bought me a beautiful new nightgown, and he made this wonderful dinner. After we put you down for the night, he reminded me, in the sweetest way possible, how much he loved me," Dotty explained.

Amanda gave Dotty a slight smile and shook her head. "I'm not sure I'm ready for that. I mean, look at me. I'm not eating right. I haven't had any time to do any kind of exercises," Amanda stated softly.

"Amanda, listen to yourself!" Dotty commanded softly. "Lee doesn't care what you look like! He loves you for you."

Amanda shook her head slowly. "I know that, Mother. And he's been a great father. This isn't about him or how I think he feels about me. This is about me and how _I_ feel about me." Amanda stood and smoothed her sweater down. "I'm still wearing the clothes I was wearing at the beginning of my pregnancy because nothing else fits right. I'm tired all the time still and I'm not sleeping very well."

Dotty rose to her feet and placed her hands on Amanda's forearms. "Tell me this, Missy. How old are your princesses?"

"Three months," Amanda sighed softly.

"That's right. And during that time, you've had four, maybe five hours of sleep at a stretch each night before both of them are awake. Am I right?" Dotty pushed.

Amanda nodded, "Yes, Mother. It wasn't until the other night they finally slept for eight hours straight. You know that."

"And I also know you. Instead of napping when they nap, you push yourself all day long to keep up with the boys, the laundry, dinner, and now work," Dotty asserted.

"What are you saying, Mother?" Amanda asked.

Dotty released Amanda's arms, placed a stack of folded laundry into her hands, and laughed. "I'm saying you need to not be so hard on yourself. I'm saying you need to let others help you when they offer. And I'm saying you need to remember your husband… the eleven that he is… loves you. No matter what."

Amanda stopped and smiled. "Thank you, Mother. And you're right. Lee does love me no matter what."

"I know I am," Dotty sang as she passed Amanda on her way through the kitchen and up the stairs carrying the basket full of the boys' folded laundry.

Amanda carried the stack of laundry into the twins' room and crept past the crib where her daughters were sleeping. She placed the folded clothes away quietly and paused for a few moments to watch the babies sleep. She reached into the crib and tugged the handknit blanket covering them a little higher. Amanda watched as they breathed in unison, their little chests rising and falling together. She studied their faces and smiled as she recognized how much they looked like Lee. Even in sleep, little dimples could be seen gracing their cheeks. She traced Lily's exposed hands with her fingertip before she trailed her fingers across DJ's leg.

Before she left the room, she noticed a small piece of paper pinned into the corner of the corkboard they had placed up on the wall. Curious, she plucked the paper and unfolded it. Written on it, in Lee's distinctive hieroglyphics, it said, "I love you… Always."

"We love you, too, Sweetheart," Amanda whispered as she placed the paper back onto the board. She left the room silently, her heart full of love.


End file.
